E-Paper
IIT (BHU) signs MoU with DMRC to establish centre of excellence for tunnelling and underground space engineering
DMRC will offer short-term training programmes to train field engineers and construction supervisors. Centre will also have faculty development programmes. The specialized facilities developed under the centre will attract sponsored projects from government and private agencies for cutting-edge research and development, said Professor Pramod Kumar Jain, director of the institute.
Adding another feather to its cap, the Indian Institute of Technology (BHU) Varanasi has signed an MoU with Delhi Metro Rail Corporation to establish centre of excellence (CoE) for ‘tunnelling and underground space engineering’.
Professor Pramod Kumar Jain, director of the institute, said the move will strengthen the spirit of collaboration between IIT (BHU) Varanasi and DMRC. The technical innovation in tunnelling for transport and defense will have a great impact on the growth and development of the country.
He further said that under this centre, IIT (BHU) will offer undergraduate minor/major courses as well as post-graduate courses in the field of tunnelling and underground space technology.
DMRC will offer short-term training programmes to train field engineers and construction supervisors. “Centre will also have faculty development programmes. The specialized facilities developed under the centre will attract sponsored projects from government and private agencies for cutting-edge research and development. Further, industrial consultancies through the project will help infrastructure development,” he added.
The MoU will improve our state-of-the-art infrastructure and cutting-edge research contributions in the field of tunnelling and underground space engineering, said Vikas Kumar, MD, DMRC.
In May 2015, the Union Government approved metro projects for 50 cities and announced an investment of ₹5 lakh crore as 50:50 joint venture of the state and union government. Tunnelling projects worth more than Rs. 1 lakh crore are solely to be executed by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) in the next 5 years. Under these infrastructure projects, underground tunnels of length 1,000 Km (approximately) are going to be constructed.
BHU officials said the expertise at IIT (BHU) Varanasi is extremely valuable for project planning, innovative designs, safety measurements, structural health monitoring, retrofitting, etc. Under the centre, both IIT (BHU) Varanasi and DMRC will join hands to solve major engineering issues faced in tunnelling and underground space technology to drive the growth engine of the 21st-century India.
